Conclave, by Roberto Pazzi; Please Stop Laughing at Me, by Jodee Blanco

[maribou]

Conclave is a book about a papal election that goes on for a very long time, complete with magic-realist touches. It seemed at first to be mainly written as an intellectual amusement, so I was surprised at the end by how moving I found it, how much I cared for the various characters. I was very impressed. The translation was a bit sloppy, but I think it was a matter of being done quickly rather than being done poorly.

Please Stop Laughing at Me was both heartbreaking and inspiring (two adjectives I generally try to avoid). Someone who is now a successful publishing executive wrote her story of having been bullied throughout her school years, without pulling any punches. Having experienced first and second hand the way that bullying is glossed over by society at large, I thought it was brave of her to confront denial by telling things exactly how she remembers them happening. Book put me in a bad mood for a couple days (I kept flinching for no real reason), but it was worth it.

(23,24/200)


(edited to note that I actually meant to post this to 50bookchallenge but misposted. but maybe I'll start crossposting now.)